1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to manually powered vehicles or cycles and more particularly to a multiwheel variable torque output vehicle powered by a pair of reciprocating and slidable pedal levers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional pedal driven vehicles depend primarily upon a fixed position pedal assembly where the pedals are fixedly and rotatably secured to the chassis of the vehicle. Power is thus supplied by depressing and rotatably moving the pedals in a circular motion to either directly drive one or more wheels of the vehicle or indirectly drive such wheels through the use of various gearing assemblies. There are a number of such vehicles that employ variable transmissions, however these do not involve slidable movement of the power producing pedals. They usually utilize a shifter plate or similar device to change the output torque driving the vehicle. In some instances a driving disc utilizing radial slots is employed.
In all cases, the variable output device is complicated and expensive. Moreover, these devices are somewhat fragile and must be carefully maintained to ensure proper operation. There is perceived a need for a variable torque self propelled vehicle such as a scooter or cycle that is simple in construction, reliable in operation and economical to fabricate. It is to this perceived need that the present invention is directed.
The present invention may be employed in a scooter, bicycle, tricycle or other multiwheel vehicles. It has a chassis and, in preferred form, a front and rear wheel mounted on the chassis. A steering device controls the front wheel, and a pair of reciprocating pedal levers are slidably connected to the chassis for applying power to the rear wheel. A pair of lever arms engage the pedal levers at one end and the chassis at the other end through slots that enable slidable communication therewith. The pedal levers respond to force applied by the rider proximate and between the pedal lever ends to develop variations in torque and vehicle speed depending on the location along the pedal levers where force is applied. Assuming a level riding surface, the pedal levers develop high torque and low speed when force is applied at one pedal lever end and low torque and high speed when force is applied to the other pedal lever end. The torque and speed decrease and increase progressively as force is applied progressively from the one pedal lever end to the other pedal lever end and increase and decrease progressively as force is applied progressively from the other pedal lever end to the one pedal lever end.
A combination of vertical and horizontal force is applied to the pedal levers with horizontal force alone capable of displacing the pedal levers and driving the vehicle when the force is applied at a end of the pedal levers directly over the pedal lever slots.
Several embodiments of vehicles incorporate the invention including a tandem vehicle to accommodate more than one rider.
From the preceding summary it can be seen that a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a self propelled variable torque output vehicle that includes all of the advantages of prior art devices and more and none of the disadvantages.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle of the type described that is simple in construction, easy to operate and reatively inexpensive.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle of the type described that incorporates slidable pedal levers to provide power for driving the vehicles.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle of the type described that will accommodate more than one rider. Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a variable output device that can be retrofitted to a conventional bicycle.
Thus there has been outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In that respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its arrangement of the components set forth in the following description and illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.
It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting in any respect. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of this development. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent methods and products resulting therefrom that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The application is neither intended to define the invention, which is measured by its claims, nor to limit its scope in any way.
Thus, the objects of the invention set forth above, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are noted with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and, the specific results obtained by its use, reference should be made to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.
The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. They illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.